Automatic firearm



Feb. l1, 1936. F. HERLACH ET AL 1,746,471

AUTOMATI C FIREARM Filed May 22, 1929 WWU ATT n RN EY.

i i Feb. ll, i930 PATENT oFFlcl-:f

FRITZ HERLACH AND THEODOR BAKLA, F DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIf-*NOBS T0 BHEINISCHE METALLWAABEN- UND MASCBINENFABRIX, 0F DUSSELDORF-DEBEN- DORF, GERMANY AUTOMATIC FIBEARE Application med-May 22, 1929, Serial No. 365,106, and in Germany Jnne 4, 1928.

FOur invention relates to an automatic re arm having a sliding barrel and a longitudinall movable locked breech which is opened durlng the recoil to eject the empty cartridge case and to supply a new cartridge. In lire arms of this class an advance in recoil has to be imparted to the breech piece relatively to 'the recoiling barrel, after the breech piece has been unlocked, in order to obtain 1n due tune a suiicient space for the introduction of a new cartridge. In long-recoil fire arms of;

high ballistic power and using cartridges of a comparatively great length the known recoil increasing lever inserted between the bar rel and breech piece is unable to impart to the breech piece the required acceleration in rearward direction, owing to its acting on the breech piece only on a. short section of the recoil. This known lever is further exposed to rapid wear due to its blow-like unelastic action. v

Now according to our invention the required recoil acceleration is imparted to the breech piece by an accelerating mechanism that `voperates elastically. To this end a spring comes to act upon the breech ieee after the barrel and the beech piece have een unlocked from one another during the common recoil, which spring has been tensioned during the first section of the recoil and imparts to the breech piece a rearward acceleration relatively to the barrel which continues recoiling. By suitably determining the spring as to power and relaxing stroke, our accelerating mechanism can be adapted without diiiculty to the conditions of any lire arm so that the power required to accelerate during recoil the breech piece relatively to the barrel can be obtained for every fire arm.

In order that our invention can be more readily understood, an embodiment of the same is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through' the parts entering in consideration of a fire arm, the parts being in run out position and the breech locked.

Figure 2 is a similar section showing the parts when recoiling after the shoot in the instant the accelerating spring starts to be tensioned.

F igure`3 is a similar section showing the parts during the further recoil shortly belfore the completely tensioned accelerating spring is released. and

Figure 4 shows the same parts when the breech piece is separated from the barrel by the released and relaxing spring.

Referring to these drawings, a denotes the barrel which is mounted for longitudinal shifting motion in the casing i) and the portion al of which, that rearwardly extends beyond the cartridge chamber of the barrel forms the breech wherein. the breech piece a is lodged. The latter may be designed as a rotary screw breech. In a. bore a3 of a casing a2 laterally arranged on the barrel a is lodged the accelerating spring d. This spring abuts with its front end on the front wall a4 of the bore a3 and with its rear end on a piston e shiftable in the bore a3. The piston e has fixed on it a rod e1 which extends through the partition ou.l and a chamber a5 situated in front thereof. On its front end the rod el has a head e?, which when the barrel is in run out position abuts on the front wall b2 of a lateral casing portion b1 that encases the accelerating mechanism. Between the head e2 and the partition a4 is inserted a buffer f that e. g. consists of annular friction springs. In the piston e is pivoted a lever g which under the action of a spring g1 projects intoa recess b3 of the case portion 61. The rear wall of this recess is formed by a slope. face b4. The piston e has further pivoted in it another two-armed lever k, h2 the head h1 of which can be swun by a spring h3 into the path of a lug c1 rigi on the breech piece c. Vhen the accelerating spring d is in relaxed state, this lug c1 is swung back to inoperative position into the piston e by the other arm h2 of lever h h2 striking a stop face a6 of the barrel casing a2.

lVhen a shoot has gone oil", the barrel a and the breech piece c bolted thereto execute from the run out position, Figure 1, the iirst section of the recoil in unison. T his motion is taken part in by the rod e1 until the lever g mounted in the piston e strikes the slope face b4 of the case 68, Figure 2, so that in the further course of the recoil the pistone is stopped and the accelerating sprin d is compressed. When this takes place rst the stop a6 is shifted to the rear relativel to piston e and releases the lever arm k2 whereupon the head hl of arm `-I1. rushesjinto the path of the lug c1 of the breech piece c. Then the breech piece c is released in known manner from the barrel aand its lug e1 passes past the head h1 of lever k which elastically gives way and again rushes into engaging position. Shortlythereafter a forward stop face a7 of the casing a2 lifts the locking lever g to such an extent that it glides upward on the slope face b4, see Figure 3.

,The acceleratinw spring d which is now fully compressed 1s then able to relax and pushes the piston e to the rear, Figure 4, which latter imparts to the'breech piece c an acceleration beyond the recoil motion relatively to the barrel a that likewise recoils farther a short distance, until spring d has relaxed completely. The breech piece c thus moves off from barrel aand this motion on the one hand takes place with such a power that the extraction of the cartridge case still in the cartridge chamber of barrel a is warranted, and, on the other hand, so far to the rear that the space required for the introduction of a new cartridge is abundantly at disposal between barrel a and breech piece c, the latter moving back still farther due to its inertia after the 'accelerating spring d has completely relaxed. Vhen spring d has relaxed, the head e of rod e1 strikes the buffer spring f which elastically takes up the living force of the recoiling accelerating members.

When the running out motion begins under the action of the running out device (not shown), the described accelerating mechanism d, e, 61,422 is entrained, t-he head h1 of lever h being rocked out of the path of the lug c1 of breech piece c to initial position within piston e by the stop face a rockingthe arm h2. At the end of the running out motion the head e2 of the rod el strikes the wall b2 ,y of case b1 and the buffer spring f elastically takes up the running out force. Lever g again enters the recess b3, as shown in Figure 1,

` and the breech piece again assumes closing :position under the action ofa closing spring y(not shown) a What we claim anddesire to secure by Let- Q .(.Eters Patent, is

*1. An automatic fire arm comprising a shit'tablebarrel; a locking breech, said barrel and breech unlocking from'one another during theI common recoil motion; and a spring which has been tensioned during the first section of the recoil adapted to act upon the breech to impart to it a leadthat is an acceleration relatively to the barrel in the recoil direction.

2. An automatic fire arm comprising a casinserted between the stop and the piston; and

a locking member which is adapted to lock said piston during the first action of the recoil relatively to the casing to tension the spring, and after the locking member has been positively released durin the recoil causes the power accumulated 1n the accelerating sprlng to act upon the breech piece 3. An automatic fire arm comprising a casing; a shiftable barrel in said casing; a locking breech, said barrel and breech unlocking from one another during the common recoil motion; a stop in the barrel; an accelerating piston adapted to be shifted longitudinally relatively to the barrel; an accelerating spring inserted between the stop and the piston which has been tensioned .during the first section of the recoil adapted to act upon the breech to impart to it a lead that is an celeration relatively to the barrel in the recoil direction; and a locking member which is adapted to lock said piston during the first action of the recoil relatively to the'casing to tension the spring, and after the locking member has been positively released during the recoil ca`uses the power accumulated in the accelerating spring to act upon the breech piece.

4. An 'automatic fire arm according to claim 3 in which the release of the locking member takes place by the actionof the barrel.

5. An automatic fire arm comprising a casing; a shiftable barrel in said casing; a locking breech, said barrel and breech unlocking from one another during the common,recoil motion; a stop in the barrel; an accelerating piston adapted to be shifted longitudinally relatively to the barrel; an accelerating spring inserted between the stop and the piston which has been tensioned during the tirst section of the recoil adapted to act upon the breech to impart to it a lead that is an acceleration relatively to the barrel in the recoil direction; a locking member which is adapted to lock said piston during the first `action of the recoil relatively to the casing to tension the spring, and after the locking member has been positively released during the recoil causes the power accumulated in the accelerating spring to act upon the breech piece; and a driver adapted to temporarily couple the piston with the breech piece and is positively retired when the accelerating spring is in relaxed state in the piston to inoperative position. and goes over to the position to couple it `with the breech piece only when the accelerating spring is tensioned.

6. An automatic fire arm comprising a casing; a shftable barrel in said casing; a lockton which Y the recoil re miami ing breech, said barrel and breech from one another during the common reco motion; a stop in the barrel; an accelerating piston adapted to be shifted longitudinally relatively to the barrel; an accelerating spring` inserted between the stop an the ishas been tensioned during the st section of the recoil adapted to act upon the breech to impart to it a lead that is an acceleration relatively to the :barrel in the recoil direction; a locking member which is adapted to lock said piston during the first action of atively to the casing to tension the spring, and after the lockingmember has been positively released during the recoil causes the ower accumulated in the accelerating spring to act upon the breech piece; and a driver adapted to temporariliy couple the iston with the breech piece an is positive y retired when the accelerating spring is in relaxed state in the piston to inoperative position and goes over to the osition to couple it with the breech piece on y when the accelerating spring is tensioned and in which a buer is rovided which is adapted to damp the arriva of the acceleratin members rushing back under the action 0% said spring to recoil end position.

7.. An automatic fire arm comprising a casing; a shitable barrel in said'casing; a locking breech, said barrel and breech unlocking from. one another during the common recoi motion; a stop in the barrel; an accelerating piston adapted to be shifted longitudinally relatively to the barrel; an accelerating spring inserted between the stop and the iston which has been tensioned during the rst section of the recoil adapted to act upon the breech to impart to it a lead that is an acceleration relatively to the barrel in the recoil direction; a locking member which is adapted to' lock said piston action of the recoil relatively to t e casing to tension the spring, and a er the locking member has been positively released during the recoil causes the power accumulated in the accelerating ring to act'upon the breech piece; and a couple the piston with t e breech piece and is positively retired when the accelerating spring is in relaxed state in the piston to in- 1 hon to couple it with o rative position and oes over to the posie breech piece only when the accelerating sprin is tensioned and in which a buer is provide which is adapted to damp the arrival of the acceleratm members rushing back under the 1action o said spring to recoil end position and is further adapted to damp the barrel when arrivin in run out position. Y

testimony whereof we have axed our signatures.

Farrar-mamon. THEoDoR durin the first I river ada ted to temporarily 

